


It's Me.

by AngelwithMidnightWings



Series: Come Back To Me [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Henry is regina and daniels, Past Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21565849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelwithMidnightWings/pseuds/AngelwithMidnightWings
Summary: A follow up to "The one that got away". Regina is back in Storybrooke and Emma is ignoring her. Will they reconcile before Regina has to leave again, or will Emma let her go, without saying a word to her.
Relationships: Daniel Colter/Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Series: Come Back To Me [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1554220
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49





	It's Me.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a while. And I've got twelve things due in the next week and a half for uni. What better time to post? Lmao  
> Hope you Enjoy!   
> ~AWMW

Regina was going back to Storybrooke after six years of being away. 

She remembers being twenty-two, leaving the small apartment where her and Emma lived, the bitter taste in her mouth as the door slammed shut behind her. Emma didn’t come after her, why would she have. Regina sprung the news on her and promptly left, barely giving her time to collect her thoughts.

Regina remembers the phone call three days before that. The kind woman who had offered her a paid internship with an accounting firm, who had been one of her mother’s old contacts. She remembers hanging up, and hearing as Emma walked through the door, finding her, but not being able to tell her that she had to move across the country. She couldn’t ask Emma to come with her. Regina knew how much their little town meant to Emma.

It’s all so different now.

Regina met Daniel, another intern at the firm. A wonderful man, Regina was sure Emma would have gotten along well with. She never got over Emma, but she made room for Daniel in her heart. 

It was a year and a half later, after they had been dating for seven months, that Regina had gotten a call. There was a car accident. He didn’t survive. And Regina clutched a onesie to her stomach, the one she was going to show Daniel that night after work.

_ I Love My Daddy! _

Regina had almost texted  _ her _ right then and there. But she hadn’t.

Now there was Regina, who was a junior partner at the same accounting firm, and Henry. Her baby boy, her best reminder of Daniel. He was three and Regina’s father was dying. So, instead of having her mother, her father, and her sister fly to California like they normally did, Henry would finally visit Storybrooke.

…

_ Emma swept Regina up in her arms, spinning her around with a grin on her features. She clutched a paper in her hand, and when she finally puts a laughing Regina down, she brandishes it proudly.  _

_ “I got in!” she exclaims, pulling Regina to her once more and crashing their lips together. _

_ “You did? That’s wonderful!” Regina replies when she can finally pull away. She could never resist when Emma smiled that wide. She knows Emma had been waiting anxiously for that paper, always glancing at the door, knee bouncing when they were sitting. _

_ “I always knew you would. You’ll make a great sheriff, one day,” Regina says, kissing Emma soundly on the mouth once more. “How do you want to celebrate?” _

_ Emma gets a devilish grin, tightening her hold around Regina’s waist. “You know exactly how.” _

_ Regina giggles as Emma hoists her up, and she wraps her legs around Emma’s waist. She always did love when they celebrated. _

...

Zelena picked them up from the airport. While her sister chatted idly, voice quiet because Henry had fallen asleep almost as soon as he was buckled in, Regina’s fingers typed out a familiar number. 

She wanted to call. Give the other woman notice she would be coming back for a bit. Maybe apologize.

But she had called a few times, in the first few months of being in California, and Emma had never picked up. Why would this time be any different?

“Earth to Regina,” Zelena says, snickering.

Regina jumps, features colouring as she tucked her phone back into her purse. “Sorry, Zelena. What were you saying?” She turns to face her sister, trying to give Zelena her full attention.

Zelena’s features soften. “I was saying Henry senior is excited you are coming back to Storybrooke. Even mother was going on about it.”

“I’m not staying, Zelena,” Regina says, voice softening. “Just until…” she trails off, tears pricking at her eyes. She clears her throat. “You know.”

Zelena reaches out, linking their fingers in Regina’s lap. “I know. I’m glad you’re here.”

Regina sighs, but smiles, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Me too.”

…

“Well, I’ll be damned,” a familiar voice echoes around the diner, the bell above the door signalling the trio’s entrance. “If it isn’t the youngest Mills daughter.”

Regina looks up, Henry on her hip, and smiles when she sees Granny behind the counter.

“Hello, Granny, how have you been?” Regina says, approaching the counter.

Granny is grinning as she comes around the counter. “This must be the little Henry,” she said waving at the young boy as he buries his face against Regina’s neck, arms tightening as he squirms under the attention.

“Say hi, my little prince,” Regina murmurs, kissing the temple of her shy boy.

“Hi,” he repeats, peaking out at Granny.

Granny leans in, pretend whispering, “Do you want a cookie, Henry?”

Regina smiles at Granny over her son’s head, when Henry nods, still buried against Regina’s neck.

“I’ll be right back with that,” she whispers to Henry. “Regina, sit, please.”

Regina moves to the booth in the back, where she used to sit with her highschool friends, most of whom had moved out of Storybrooke after graduation.

She situates Henry beside her, and Zelena slides in across from them. “I didn’t get a cookie, Granny must really like you, Henry,” she says with a pout.

Henry giggles and Zelena sticks her tongue out at him. Regina chuckles, pulling a colouring book and crayons from her bag and laying them in front of Henry. He begins colouring almost immediately, and Zelena turns her attention back to Regina. “So, after we go get you settled in at the house and spend time with mother and father, we should go to the Rabbit Hole tonight. Mother can watch Henry for a few hours if he’s asleep. And I haven’t seen you in months. So, I won’t accept no for an answer.”

Regina sighs, but nods hesitantly. “Fine, why not?”

…

Later that night, after visiting with her father and mother, and helping with dinner, she puts Henry to bed and prepares to go out.

She smoothes out the knee-length black dress which hangs low in the back and slips on her highest heels. Her lips are painted a dark red and she grabs her clutch, fluffing her hair out one more time in the mirror before she meets her sister in the foyer. 

“Ready?” Zelena asks, even as she is pulling open the door. She steps out before Regina nods and Regina rolls her eyes.

What a night it would be.

It doesn’t take them long to get to the Rabbit Hole, and immediately Regina is pulled to the bar.

Regina catches sight of some familiar faces, Emma’s old friends huddled in the corner booth. Her heart clenches and her eyes dart away before someone can meet her gaze.

This town brought up way too many memories.

…

“Goddammit,” Regina shouts with a huff, slamming her hands down on the edge of her sister’s car. She’s pulled over on the side of the road, hood of her sister’s car propped open.

“Everything okay, momma,” Henry’s little voice calls from the back seat. It eases her tension the slightest bit. 

“Everything is just fine, my little prince,” she calls back. She should have known her sister’s piece of crap car would break down on her. It was just her luck.

Sirens wail shortly behind the car, the Storybrooke sheriff’s cruiser, one of the only real police cars in the small town.

Surely, Graham, an old family friend, was still the sheriff. It would be good to see a friendly face, and a helpful one at that.

She rubs her hands on her jacket, leaning out from under the hood as the cruiser’s door slams closed.

“Everything alright, Zelena,” a familiar voice calls. Regina freezes in her movements, face paling. It couldn’t be.

A sharp inhale of breath comes from behind her.

“You’re not Zelena.”

Regina turns, a tight smile on her features. “Hello,” Regina says, eyes dipping to the belt which sports the Storybrooke Sheriff badge, “sheriff.”

Emma stands before her, hands loose by her sides. She looks a little older, wrinkles around her eyes that weren’t always there, but they are still bright. She stands as tall as she did before and her hair is pulled back into a high ponytail.

Emma clears her throat, cocking an eyebrow and nodding towards the engine. “Car troubles?”

Regina nods and Emma steps closer, leaning under the hood. 

“You just need a boost to get you home, I can call Marco, to meet you there so he can have a better look at it, but the battery is dead as far as I can tell,” Emma says, leaning away. “I have cables in my car.”

She disappears, the cruiser pulling around in front of Zelena’s car, and Emma emerges with the jumper cables.

She makes quick work of hooking everything up and starting the car.

“You should be good to go now, I’ll call Marco and he’ll meet you at the Manor.” Emma nods, stepping back towards her car, head lowering.

“Thank you,” Regina blurts out, not quite wanting Emma to slip away again.

Emma tips her head, to acknowledge she heard, but still gets in the cruiser and pulls away quickly.

Regina slides into the front seat, leaning her head against her hands where they rest on the steering wheel. 

“Who was that, momma?” Henry questions, feet hitting the back of Regina’s seat.

Regina sighs, “an old friend, Henry. An old friend.”

…

Regina is approaching her father’s hospital room when a nurse steps into her path. Regina looks up from the bouquet of flowers in her hands, eyes narrowing. “Can I help you with something?”

“Mr Mills has a visitor right now,” the nurse says, “if you come back in an hour he should be available.”

“Available? He’s stuck in a bed all day. And I’m family. I’m allowed in at any time,” Regina growls. “My mother was former Mayor of this town, and my parents have been benefactors for this hospital for years.”

The nurse’s eyes widen and she nods. “My apologies, you must be Regina. Your sister was here earlier.”

“Who is this visitor, that is more important than his own daughter?” 

“Oh come on!” a voice shouts from inside the room. One that is not her father. Regina doesn’t have time to register that the voice sounds familiar as she bolts into the room.

Her father is laying at an incline so he can sit up the slightest and across from him, looking at Regina wide-eyed, is Emma. The blonde is still in her uniform, hair pinned back from her face. Sitting between Emma and her father, is a chess board.

Immediately, Emma stands. “I’m sorry, I’ll go.”

“Our game isn’t over,” Henry senior says, voice rasping. 

“Sorry, Mr. Mills, duty calls. I’ll stop by later,” Emma says, leaning in to press a kiss to his temple. “Plus, you were well on your way to beating me.”

Henry chuckles. “I know you’ve been letting me win for weeks now, Emma.”

Emma gasps dramatically, clutching her chest. “I would never.”

She squeezes his shoulder gently and he smirks. 

He squeezes her hand in response and Emma steps away, knocking Regina’s shoulder gently.

“Excuse me,” Emma murmurs.

Regina’s heart clenched in her chest. Her father had taught Emma to play chess. It was their tradition when Emma and Regina were dating for Emma and Henry senior to play chess every Wednesday. Today was Wednesday. The two must have continued the tradition after Regina had left.

“No, wait,” Regina says, but it doesn’t stop the blonde. “Emma, stay,” Regina says, a little louder, heart burning in her throat.

Emma pauses, shoulders hunching in on themselves. Regina thinks she’s going to turn around, but two seconds later, hands clenched at her sides, Emma walks away.

Regina sighs, turning into the room. “Hi, daddy,” Regina says softly.

Henry senior pats the bed by his side. “Come sit, Regina. I won’t break.”

Regina places the flowers on the side table and crawls up beside her father. “How are you feeling, daddy?”

“I’ve been better, Regina,” he says with a rasping chuckle. “Have you not spoken to Emma yet?”

Regina sighs again. “No. She never answered her phone.”

Henry nods. “How’s my grandson? Doing good is he?”

Regina nods against her father’s shoulder. “He is. He wants to come see you tomorrow afternoon. Do you think you’ll be up for it?”

Henry nods. “I want to see my grandson.”

There is a pause. 

“Say what you’re going to say, daddy,” Regina says softly.

“You should try to talk with Emma.”

“I can’t, daddy. She doesn’t want to talk with me.”

Henry sighs. “Try, Regina. That girl loves you so much. Just try.”

…

_ A knock startles Emma as she sits, twirling a pencil between her fingers. It’s been three weeks since Regina had left her, and she was just trying to get through some paperwork for the academy. But her mind kept slipping back to Regina walking out. Her eyes flick to the bookshelf in the corner of the room, where she had tossed the ring two weeks ago. _

_ When Emma opens the door, she’s surprised to find Henry, Regina’s father, standing behind the door. _

_ “Mister Mills?” Emma says hesitantly, quietly. “Is everything okay?” _

_ “It’s Wednesday,” he says, simply. “I’m here to remind you of that, since it seems you’ve forgotten.” _

_ Emma gapes. “I didn’t think you’d want me to.”  _ **_since Regina left,_ ** _ is unsaid. _

_ “One of my daughters already left, I don’t need another one disappearing on me too,” he says. _

_ Emma gapes, tears welling up in her eyes. “What?” she says, voice barely a whisper.  _

_ Henry’s eyes soften. “Come here, Emma,” he says, holding his arms open. _

_ She falls into them, tears coming as easily as they have the past few weeks. “I just don’t understand,” she murmurs. _

_ His arms tighten around her. “I know, you’ll get through this. You won’t be alone. Now let’s go play chess, alright?” _

_ Emma pulls away, wiping at her eyes. She nods. “Sounds good, Mister Mills.” _

_ … _

Regina hoists Henry onto her hip, heading towards the swings. “You ready, Henry. Momma and Auntie Zelena used to play here when we were your age,” Regina whispers to Henry. 

Zelena nods. “Grandpa used to love pushing us on the swings

He giggles, squirming to get down and run for the swings. She shares a chuckle with Zelena, setting him down and watching him run to the swings.

Two blonde women are already there, watching over a little blonde haired girl.

They are walking up when Henry extends his hands to one of the blonde women, hands clenching and unclenching.

“Can you help me get on the swing please?”

The woman bends down and when she speaks, Regina’s eyes widen, but she hangs back. 

“Where’s your mom, kid?”

“She’s coming, but she’s slow,” Henry whines.

Emma chuckles. “Alright, let me help.” She picks him up in her arms, muscles flexing, seen because she’s in a tank top. She puts him on the swing beside the little girl and began pushing him gently.

Regina comes up to stand beside the other woman, who turns to her, eyes widening. “Hello, Ashley,” Regina says softly. “Is she yours?”

Ashley nods, eyes flicking to Emma’s back. “Yes. Alexandra. He’s yours?”

Regina nods.

Emma turns, a grin on her features, that drops as soon as she sees Regina. She stops pushing Henry. “What are you doing here?” her voice is quiet, but sharp, hurt in her eyes. She already knows.

Regina moves to stand beside her. “I’m here to push my son on the swings,” she says, chin rising.

Emma’s shoulders lower, hunching in on herself once more. “Ash, I’ve got to go.”

“Where are you going, Auntie Em,” the little blonde asks.

“I’ve got to go see Granny, Alex,” Emma responds, bending to kiss Alex’s forehead. “She needs help with something.”

“Okay!” Alex says, swinging harder. Emma turns to leave, already a few steps away.

“Emma,” Regina says, stepping after her. “Please, can we talk?”

Emma doesn’t say anything, once again hunching her shoulders up to her ears, pressing in on herself.

“Emma, please.”

Zelena’s hand on her arm stops Regina from following. “Give her time, Regina. You can’t just come back and expect everything to be normal.”

“I don’t want it to be normal,” Regina hisses, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “I just want her to talk to me.”

Zelena shakes her head. “You can’t ask that of her just yet. You hurt her very badly, Regina.”

Regina lowers her head.

“If it’s any consolation,” Ashley says quietly, “she still loves you, someway.”

Regina sighs, turning to Henry and pushing him gently. “She doesn’t have to love me, I just want her to let me explain.”

…

Regina was standing between her mother and Zelena, Henry clutching her skirt, a thumb tucked between his teeth. They stand in a somber row, in front of the casket.

Regina’s eyes are red and puffy and she sucks in a sharp breath as Granny and Ruby make their way down the line to hug each of them.

Granny bends down and picks Henry up. “I’ll take him to get a snack,” Granny says. “It’s been a long day for all of you.”

Regina nods, kissing Henry. “You be good for Granny, alright, my little prince?”

He nods, already laying his head against Granny’s shoulder.

Granny moves away, taking Henry with her. Zelena takes her hand, and they stand together, receiving hugs from most of the people in town, some who Regina hadn’t seen in years.

Emma stands at the back of the room, hands tucked into her pockets. She was the first one to approach the casket, and the Mills family standing before it. She had hugged Regina’s mother, and Zelena, barely glancing at Regina as she uttered a brief, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Her eyes are down cast, shoulders rising and falling in an unsteady rhythm as she moves away to stand in the far corner. Regina’s eyes have drifted to her many times throughout this whole day.

Cora, Regina’s mother, squeezes Regina’s hand. “I’ll be back, just going to the ladies room.”

Regina and Zelena nod, there was a lull of well wishers and they were all taking the moment.

Zelena steps away and to Regina’s surprise, she goes to Emma, whispering to her in low tones.

Regina watches as Emma finally glances up from the floor, and she’s a little taken aback by the tears streaming down Emma’s cheeks.

Regina has felt numb the past day and a half but seeing Emma, the stoic woman she once knew, cry, Regina’s heart jumps in her chest.

Emma turns, catching Regina’s gaze and she wipes her cheeks.

Regina is wide-eyed as Emma starts towards her.

“What are you doing?” Regina asks, as Emma gets closer to her than she has since Regina has been back.

Emma doesn’t say anything, just wraps her arms around Regina.

Regina freezes and Emma’s scent, she must use the same shampoo, envelops her. Regina melts into Emma’s arms, clutching her tightly, and finally, the tears fall.

Emma holds her as Regina breaks down in her arms. She’s whispering nonsense, soothing words, Regina’s head tucking under her chin.

When Regina’s sobbing has subsided, she pulls away, wiping under her eyes. Emma’s hand cups her cheek, wiping under her eye with a thumb.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” Emma murmurs.

Regina clutches Emma’s hand to her cheek. “Me too,” she whispers, trying to keep this contact as much as possible.

Emma’s eyes glint a moment, before her jaw clenches and her eyes fall. “I’ve got to get back to work,” she says, removing her hand from Regina’s cheek.

“Can we talk?” Regina blurts, hand grasping at Emma’s wrist. “Not today, but soon.”

Emma shakes her head. “I can’t do it, Regina. You left. I can’t.”

She pulls away, wiping at her own cheeks and leaving, door shutting softly behind her.

“Zelena,” Regina says, tears falling again. She turns, her sister right behind her, arms open. She falls into them, and Zelena’s fingers begin carding through her hair. “I lost them both. How did I do that?”

“Dad wasn’t your fault, Regina,” Zelena said softly.

Regina pulls away, anger filling her eyes, as they narrow. “But Emma was! That’s what your saying.”

Zelena sighs, glancing around. Her voice is still lowered, “I didn’t say that, Regina, but you did leave. I don’t want to get into this now. We can talk about it later,” Zelena says, turning away.

Regina huffs, turning towards the casket. The tears come once again when she sees her father’s still features.

“I’m sorry, daddy. I don’t know what to do.”

…

“Do you have to go so soon?” Cora asks, her daughter’s hands between hers.

Regina nods. “I’ve got to get back to work. Get Henry’s schedule back to normal.”

“Come on, sis,” Zelena says, nudging Regina’s shoulder. “Move back, we miss you. I hear a spot is opening up in the Mayor’s office.”

Regina chuckles. “As if we need another Mills in office.”

“We did a pretty good job,” Cora teases, a smirk on her features.

Regina nods again. “That you did.”

Zelena’s eyes slip over Regina’s shoulder and she frowns. Regina turns, thinking something is wrong with Henry who is sitting in the car.

Instead she sees a yellow VW beetle parked at the corner of the street and Emma leaning against it.

“She still has that death trap?” Regina asks softly.

“Dad tried to get her to trade it in for years,” Zelena admits.

Cora shakes her head fondly. “Said it held too many memories to get rid of it. I can’t imagine how much it costs her to keep up maintenance.”

Regina hums, “Must be a lot.”

…

_ Emma presses Regina’s back against the car door, struggling to get it open their mouths barely parting as she searches for the handle. _

_ Regina chuckles into Emma’s mouth, reaching behind her back for the handle. She yanked it open, dropping onto the back seat and pulling Emma down with her. _

_ Hands fumble with zippers, fingers ghosting over bare skin, breath harsh in each others ears. _

_ “What a great way to christen the new bug,” Emma says, mouthing along the skin of Regina’s collarbone. _

_ Regina chuckles, nails scraping over Emma’s back, raking her shirt up as far as she can reach in the cramped car. “Shut up and kiss me,” Regina says. _

_ And Emma doesn’t argue with that. _

…

“You just gonna stand there, or were you going to say goodbye,” Regina says softly, coming to stand in front of Emma.

Emma shrugs, hands dug deep in her pockets, but her shoulders aren’t hunched right now. Regina takes that as a win.

“I didn’t know if you’d want me to, I’ve basically ignored you since you got here,” Emma says.

Regina’s eyes soften. “I know. It’s okay. I hurt you very badly when I left.”

“I would have followed you anywhere, Regina,” Emma admits softly.

Regina’s heart clenched in her chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you leave Storybrooke, but I had to go.”

Emma nodded, sighing. She turns, reaching through the window and grabbing something. She turns back, holding out her hand. “I need you to have it. It was picked out for you, so I can’t give it to anyone else.”

Regina gasps and she takes the small box, opening it to find a simple silver band with a larger diamond in the center and two smaller ones on either side.

“‘Emma?”

Emma shakes her head. “I was going to ask. I planned it for the week after you left. When you walked out, I couldn’t find the heart to get rid of it. It will always be for you. But I’m not asking, I can’t.”

Regina nods, closing the box. “Maybe someday we can talk again. Like we used to.”

Emma nods too, handing Regina a business card. Regina reads the number, eyes widening. 

“This isn’t your number.”

“It is. I threw out my old phone the day after you left. I was so mad at you, I didn’t want to see anything to do with you. I got a new number.”

“That explains why when I called, you never picked up.”

“Momma, let’s go,” Henry calls.

Regina looks back. “I’ve got to go. But I’ll call you sometime.”

Emma smiles softly. “I’d like that.”

…

_ Regina dials the familiar number, hands shaking. _

**_“The number you are dialing is no longer in service. Please hang up and try your call again.”_ **

_ “Emma, please answer. It’s me.” _


End file.
